Means for separating minerals from alluvial wash.



. R. HUGHES.

MEAlis POR SBPARATING MINERALS PROM ALLUVIAL WASH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2Z. 1912.

1,048, 1 '71 Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

.- UNITED sTATEs Pia-TENT OFFICE.

RES HUGHES, F WILSGNS DWNFALL, NEXBV SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

MEANS FOR ASIEIPARA'I-INGr lM.IlN'ERAIaS FROM ALLUVIAL WASH.

To all whom it may conca-rn:

ller it known that l, BEES HUGHES, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom ot' Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Wilsons lDownfall, in the State of New South lVales, Commonwealth of Australia, have' invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Separating Minerals from Alluvial Wash;v and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, .and exact description of-the invention, such as will enable others skilled in .the art to which,-

` it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists of a bent trunkway of special'construction, pivoted. at or near the angle, and having one cndiextending upward while the other end isy more or less horizontal, but so designed that the slope can be varied through a reasonable limit. and heldin any desired position.

The portion that is nearly horizontal is dividedup into a number of shallow conipartm'ents the full widthy of the trunk-Way,l

each compartment being open to the trunklway at its higher end through the, overlapping plate forming the top ofathe" compartment, not quite 4fitting down on the next plate so Aleaving-a narrow slit across the trunk. The lower end of each of the com partments is provided with a drain plpe having a length of 'glass tube 1n it so that.

the material passing from any compartment can readlly be seen. The lower compartment has a grid instead of the narrow slit. At the lower end. of each slit is a perforated pipe connectedto4 a source of water supply under pressure, each provided with av cock for controlling same, and the pipe is so arranged that 4the streams of Water go up the slit into the trunk-Way. Each extremity of the trauiik-way is open While the vmy improved separator.

y of the portionm B Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 24, 1912. Applicationaiea August 22, 1912. serial nofviasoe.

whole 1is filled with water: the higher for the recepton'o-f'the alluv-ial to be treated,

the lower for the passage'of the tailings.

s In order that my invention may be better understood I will now describe it with the aid of ,the accompanying drawings, in whichf v l Figure-1, isV a side sectional elevation of Fig. 2,' is a plan of same (the chute being omitted). Fig.v 3, is a detail view (to an enlarged scale) showing a ritHe box which may be' fitted in order to save any gold that may be in the alluvial wash.

In carrying my invention into e'ect I form a trunk-way of suitable material having av receiving'chute A approximately upright, Aand a ortion B7 wherein the metal is separate vThis portion is approximately or nearly atv right angles to the receiving chute "A,. being more or less horizontal. The chutei A and sides and top are made fairly even on the inner side, but the floor of the portion Blforming the separating tables is made with a grid or screen C at theangle either horizontaler sloping as shown in the drawings, and a number of plates DQ the upper yend of each of which overlaps the lower end of the succeeding plate, a small slit E bein provided between such overlapping portions. This'trunk-Way A, B is carried at or near the 'angle on a pivot F and at the opposite end of the separating tables D on suitable means (such as the screw "G) whereby such end may be raised or placed and arranged so that the water therefrom impinges up under the grid C.

Immediately under'the grid C and each of the slits E Iplace a small receiving hoppeirpr chute K .from which lead pipes K may be sloped as shown, and if the material being treated' contains any gold rililes or pockets M (as 1n Fi 3) may One side of the hopperl be -formed in stepped arrangeme t on. the.l

surface thereof in which mercury may be placed. Said pockets are relatively deep to form troughs or channels suitable for holding' baths of mercury of appreciable depths.v

The pipes L are each provided With a short length of glass tube N above and below which are' cocks P Q."

The method of operating` my improved separator. is as follows z-The separator having been constructed and arranged in a convenient position for the proper Working ot the plant, .the water supply cocks J and cocks I3 are opened and cocks QV closed. The alluvial Wash is fed into the top olf the chute A whence it passes down over the grid C and up the trunk-Way B over the tables 1). As it does so, the mineral contained therein :falls Vto the^ bottom and the bulk of it linds its Way through the grid C and into the hopper l Any .mineral that may not be released finds its Way up the first plate D to the upper edge thereof Where it falls over and passes through the slit E into the hopper K, and so on up the separating tables until practically all the mineral has been released, a suitable number of plates D being provided to suit the nature of the material being treated, and tailings pass over the end or' the last plate on to the ground or into a suitable receptacle to be afterward removed.'

P are closed and opened respectively and The details of carrying my invention'into` el'ect may be varied Without affecting same, for instance, I do not bind myself to the eX- act means described and shod'n for adjusting the level of the separating tables, since other devices may be used.

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In a separating apparatus, the combi nation of an inclined trough; a chute adapted to receive the materialto be separated; a laterally disposed screen mounted in the chute immediately beneath the hopper; a plurality of Water distributing pipes located between the bottom of the chute and said screen; and a hopper disposed at the lower end of the trough and adapted to receive the separated material, substantially as de scribed.

2. In a separating apparatus, the combination of a trough having 'overlapping plates providing a slot through which the material passes, and a chute adapted to reveeive the material to be separated; a laterally disposed screen mounted on the trough immediately beneath said chute; Water distributing pipes located immediately beneath said screen, and in the slot provided by said overlapping' plates; hoppers ylocated respectively beneath the screen and said slot; and a pipe connected to each of said hoppers adapted to collect the separated material. In testimony whereof, I aiX my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

EEES HUGHES.

Witnesses:

IC. GARLAND ABELL, CLIVEK. ABELL. 

